Pool queen Susie O’Neill reveals why she is giving the Olympics a big miss after going to every Games since 1992
- Susie O’Neill will not be at the Paris Games this year
- Says she’d like to try things she hasn’t done before
- After her fifties she wants to step out of her comfort zone
Australian swimming legend Susie O’Neill has appeared at every Olympic Games since she made her debut as a swimmer in 1992, but this year she has decided to miss the world’s biggest sporting event to focus on her family life.
O’Neill, nicknamed Madame Butterfly by Australian fans, had a stellar career that included two gold, four silver and two bronze medals at the Olympic Games, as well as four world titles and 11 gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.
She made a triumphant return to the pool after the Sydney Olympics, where she finished with a gold medal in the 200m freestyle, but heartbreakingly lost the final of her favorite event, the 50m freestyle.
O’Neill has attended every Games for decades, but this year she wants to change things up in a big way.
Australian swimmer Susie O’Neill (pictured at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame induction ceremony) breaks tradition and misses the Paris Olympics
O’Neill has competed in some capacity at every Olympic Games since her debut in 1992
“I turned 50 last year, so I’m just trying to do things I haven’t done before,” she told the BBC. Herald Sun.
‘I don’t regret being a swimmer because I love everything it brings, but there were a lot of things I couldn’t do because I was always training.
“So I’m doing them now and stepping a little outside my comfort zone.”
This year, O’Neill has planned a holiday abroad with her husband and two children and is looking forward to the well-deserved break.
“It’s not a sob story or anything like that, but as a swimmer you have to become quite disciplined and structured from the age of 10 and that doesn’t really stop,” she said.
‘Now I suddenly don’t have many permanent commitments besides work, so it’s just an exciting time.’
However, O’Neil says she will still watch the Games on TV and is keen to see the Aussies compete.
“They just look so fit, their body shape seems so different from when I swam and they seem much more muscular,” she said.
O’Neill, who recently turned 50, says she’s looking forward to getting out of her comfort zone during this Olympiad
‘Obviously they are doing very well, but there is also a lot of pressure on them, even more than normal, probably because they did so well in Tokyo.
“I just don’t want to say they’ll do great because it’s hard and I don’t envy them.
‘I’m happy my career is over, but I don’t envy their training and I don’t envy them having to compete in the Olympics. I envy them when they win. But it’s hard to get to that point. There are a lot of hoops they have to jump through.”
O’Neill celebrated her 50th birthday last year by breaking a world record in her first competitive swim since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
She recorded a time of 29:08 in the 50-54 age group at the World Aquatics Masters Championships, beating Britain’s Michelle Ware.